When paramedics found Louis Schustik in his Woodstock home earlier this month, the 94-year-old man apparently had been lying in bed, unattended, for so long that bones had poked through his skin in several places.
Schustik’s daughter, who ostensibly was caring for him in their home, was charged with two counts of criminal abuse.
Marsha Boncosky, a longtime investigator of abuse of the elderly for McHenry County, said Schustik’s bedsores were the most gruesome she had ever seen. But, she added, neglect cases are anything but rare.
“I see instances of passive neglect on a weekly basis–nothing nearly this severe, but people often are not taking care of the elderly like they should,” Boncosky said. “Many times the neglect becomes criminal, and we have to do a better job of detecting it.”
Over the last 10 years, the number of reported cases of elder abuse statewide has almost tripled, from 2,503 in 1991 to 7,415 in 2001, according to the Illinois Department on Aging.
About half of those cases involve allegations of financial fraud, but reports of physical abuse and neglect are also on the rise. Criminal charges–in some cases even murder–are climbing. Those increases, combined with a population that is getting older and a growing awareness that crimes against the elderly often go unreported, have led police and prosecutors to overhaul their approach to investigating neglect in hope of stepping in before it leads to abuse, financial ruin or death.
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But recent cases show authorities have a long way to go.
Schustik’s condition has been steadily improving, and nurses said he was transferred from the hospital last week to a nursing home. If his daughter, Katherine, 57, is convicted, she could be sentenced to 5 years in prison.
McHenry County sheriff’s police say it would have been difficult to spot Louis Schustik’s situation earlier because he had been in contact with hospitals and social service agencies over the years without any apparent problems.
But a more coordinated effort by those agencies and police and prosecutors would prevent many cases from falling through the cracks, said Elgin Police Chief William Miller, who has spent the last 10 years publicizing the issue and working to implement elder abuse training programs for Illinois officers.
“I think the elder abuse problem is somewhat hidden now,” Miller said. “There is awareness, but there has to be a better understanding across the board in the criminal justice system.”
No special training
None of the state’s police academies requires any instruction on handling elder abuse situations.
Training along those lines could have helped two Mt. Prospect police officers last spring when they responded to a call involving an elderly, bedridden woman who had been injured, police said.
Mark Lindahl, who had called 911 about his mother, told the officers she had had a bad dream and fallen out of bed.
Paramedics examined Maryanne Lindahl, 76, and determined that she didn’t need medical attention.
But before the paramedics and police officers left, Maryanne Lindahl told them her son was mentally ill and had pulled the covers over her head to smother her, according to court records. She told the officers she fought back, scratching his arm, until he finally removed the covers, she would later testify. She said the fight left bloodstains on her pillow.
Despite that and several incoherent statements made that night by Mark Lindahl, the officers believed him and drove away, leaving the partially paralyzed woman alone with her son.
The next day Mark Lindahl was arrested in an unrelated incident and told police he had tried to smother his mother the night before.
He was charged with attempted first-degree murder and aggravated battery and last month was found not guilty by reason of insanity.
Mt. Prospect police said both officers were reprimanded for mishandling the investigation.
“We had young officers with the best of intentions, but I do think in this case we simply blew it,” said Mt. Prospect Deputy Chief Kevin Condon, adding that both of the officers had less than two years’ experience.
“There were some indications there, and we just didn’t pick up on them. Some training for these types of cases in the future might be useful.”
Deaths lead to charges
Last summer, the Elgin Police Department handled two of its most serious cases of elder abuse, one of which has led to murder charges.
Shirley Swanson, 78, weighed 60 pounds when she died and had bruises all over her body. She had not received medical help in at least seven years, despite living with a cousin and his wife. Leone Meagher, an 83-year-old widow, weighed 50 pounds when paramedics found her in her daughter’s home.
Prosecutors have charged Swanson’s live-in relatives with first-degree murder, alleging they deliberately withheld nutrition and medical care to gain control of a trust fund. A grand jury is investigating the Meagher case, but police have testified that they are seeking murder charges there as well.
Prosecutors say they will pursue criminal prosecutions more aggressively and more frequently when it comes to elder abuse. Advocates for senior citizens say it’s high time.
“As the problem grows, which it’s going to as the population ages, prosecutors and law enforcement are going to see more and more of these cases,” said Lauri Stiegel, a lawyer with the American Bar Association who specializes in elder abuse.
“We don’t expect kids to die, so when they do we look at those more carefully. However, we do expect older people to die, so we don’t look at those as carefully.
“There has not been any widespread training on elder abuse anywhere, really, and that needs to happen.”
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Miller said Illinois police departments need to improve their training, but the state already is a step ahead of most others.
State offers course
Officers from around the country come to Illinois to take part in the Elderly Service Officer training course, put on by a coalition of law enforcement, advocacy groups and service agencies called TRIAD.
The courses are held throughout the state, and so far about 1,500 Illinois officers have gone through the program.
“We’re trying to educate our patrol officers but also the elderly themselves. They don’t have to take the abuse–they must report it,” said Elgin Community Relations Officer Darin Hood, who helps coordinate the city’s TRIAD program, which helps train police officers, hospitals, and even bank tellers to recognize and confront elder abuse.
“The reporting of these crimes is much better than before, but we still have a lot more work ahead of us.”